Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden (Hilo)

Do we have to book the Princess tour or can we get transportation ourselves and save some money??

Don't know how much money you will save but you could hire local transport to get you there. It is about 1/2 hour away and well worth the visit. We first went about 20 years ago and there have been significant improvements since then.

Check out the Hoppa Hoppa HOHO bus in Hilo.

Do we have to book the Princess tour or can we get transportation ourselves and save some money??

Taxi. Less than 20 minutes

Sadie - I don't think the Botanical Gardens are on the Hoppa Hoppa bus route, or am I missing it on their website?

I would rent a car for the day (probably less than the cost of a taxi both ways) and do a bit more exploring in addition to the Botancial Gardens... or at least compare the cost of renting a car plus admission fee to the gardens vs. the cost of the ship's excursion.

A tour isn't necessary as it's easy to drive to, and a guide isn't needed at the gardens ... it's one of those places where it would be nicer to wander without a large group. It's definitely a highlight on the east side!

It's an easy drive from Hilo if you rent a car. Our car is costing us $43, booking Avis through Discount Hawaii Car Rentals. Do take water and mosquito repellant and wear comfortable walking shoes. After a morning at the gardens, we'll drive a little further and go to an island institution, Tex's Drive-In, for a burger and malasadas!

We went with Big Island Aina Tours (our guide was Tina) and it was a great day. :)

When I took my princess cruise in January, the excursion went to Nani Mau Gardens (http://www.nanimaugardens.com) instead. They made the change before the cruise and gave us a chance to opt out.

I LOVED Nani Mau Gardens!!!

We're renting a car for the day and we're planning on going there. I was wondering if they had any damage and if it'll still be a nice place to go. We won't be there until October 23rd so I'm hoping that things are pretty good by then. Any thoughts on this?????

Oh....I just looked at their website and it says that it reopened with minimal damage so I guess it should be fine.